Courtesy of Jalopnik, images of Volvo’s upcoming Concept Estate were leaked online yesterday. Apparently, an announcement by the Swedish manufacturer will still be made later today – which probably means that the company plans to introduce the concept before its Geneva Motor Show reveal.
The Concept Estate is not entirely new to us though. It’s essentially a shooting brake version of the stunning Concept Coupe that debuted at last year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. With the latest bevy of new concepts from Volvo, it’s safe to assume that much of the company’s future design language lies in these prototypes.
The Concept Estate is a sort of spiritual successor to the 1800 ES of the ’70s – with a sleek profile and three-door bodystyle.
But the Concept Estate is also fairly revolutionary on the inside, featuring an even more simplistic cabin than the minimalist Swedes are already known for. There’s just one row of switchgear below a large centrally mounted touchscreen that commands most of the car’s interior electronics – such as the media system, navigation, telephone, ventilation and heating, as well as certain elements of the instrument panel.
According to Volvo’s design head Thomas Ingenlath, “the basic idea is to organise controls and information in a perfectly intuitive and user-friendly way. Everything is exactly where you’d expect it to be – making the drive more enjoyable, efficient and safe.
The rest of the Concept Estate’s cabin houses a panoramic roof, two-spoke multifunction steering wheel and four individual seats, with the second row capable of folding flat to create a lot more utility space.
